Kitchens, bathrooms, and other facilities often have one or more sinks mounted in an opening of a counter. Generally these sinks include a rim surrounding the periphery of the sink and projecting onto a top surface of the counter. The rim functions to support the sink in the opening, as well provide a finished look for the installed sink.
To retain the sink in position, various fastening devices have been developed. Problematically, many of these devices require the installer to permanently attach a portion of the fastener to the counter. This often requires the installer to drill or otherwise deform a portion of the counter in order to attach the fastener. Should the installer miscalculate the position for the fastener, the counter may become damaged and unusable. Given the need for measuring and positioning these fasteners, they require an extensive amount of time to install. Also, given the various types of counter material, an installer may need specialized tools to drill the counter and install the fastener. Furthermore, these fasteners are relatively expensive and are prone to corrosion.
Other devices, such as retainer clips, require the installer to affix a portion of the clip to the sink. For instance, an installer may be required to weld a portion of the clip to the basin of the sink. If performed incorrectly, the welding may result in damaging the sink. Moreover, the welding process also requires specialized tools and increases the amount of time for installation.
Retainer clips and other fasteners also require the installer to access the underside of the sink to complete the securing process. For instance, the installer may need to tighten nuts or other fasteners to complete the attachment of the sink to the fasteners. Due to the minimal amount of space under the sink, special tools are often necessary to access the undersink fasteners. This further increases the amount of time and cost for the installation.
At some point during the installation, the installer has the additional task of sealing the sink to the counter. Sealing the sink helps prevent moisture from seeping under the rim and possibly damaging the counter or area under the sink. Since this step is separate from the securing step, this further increases the time and cost for installing the sink.
Accordingly, the plumbing arts have need for a device that would allow an installer to install the sink without the attachment of hardware to the counter. Moreover, the need exists for a device that enables a top-down, press fit installation of the sink. The device would enable the installer to secure and seal the sink in a single step, therein decreasing the installation time and related cost.